City of Detroit Develops Unique Program to Attract Future Employees  

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There is an abundance of jobs available in the City of Detroit — 11,000 to be exact — ready for interested residents looking for a better future and a new career.  

To make this reality happen, the city is looking to partner up with community entities along the way to assist long-term unemployed individuals to reenter the workforce.  

These groups are invited to submit applications to work with the city as In Detroit Organizations (IDOs). 

Participating groups would conduct outreach, on behalf of the city, to identify these select residents and link them to opportunities for education, workforce training and supportive services that can help guide them to and prepare them for new employment, according to a press release.  

Many of these grassroots organizations have been doing this work for years but will now have the opportunity to be paid based on the successes of their clients. The IDOs will be paid monthly by a third-party administrator as program participants reach milestones, up to $2,200 per program each participant completes, for a total of up to $8,800 per participant.  

An example of this would be a person who is enrolled in a literacy program after failing an 8th-grade reading test. The IDO would be paid $300 upon the participant’s enrollment, another $300 when they complete the first six weeks of training, another $800 when the participant improves two grade levels in reading, and another $800 once that individual has reached the 8th-grade reading level. The participant can then move on to another program track.  

Each JumpStart participant has unique education, training and personal needs and the city will work with IDOs to make sure enrollees are on the best path to achieve success, whether they’re enrolled in a part-time or full-time program.  

“No matter what kind of future you imagine for yourself, there’s only one way to prepare for it: build your skills,” said Nicole Sherard-Freeman, group executive of Jobs, Economy & Detroit at Work. “Whether you want a future in one of Detroit’s fastest growing industries like manufacturing, construction, healthcare or customer service, or you want to make the small business dream you have a reality, the economy is changing. We’re all going to need more skills than we have now to create the future we want.”  

IDOs will be tasked with identifying long-term unemployed residents from the neighborhoods they’re already doing work in and enrolling them in a JumpStart education or training program. They will also coach and mentor each participant, monitor their progress and identify potential barriers to success throughout the program. Through the course of the program, the city plans to partner with up to 50 IDOs who have a proven track record of working with the long-term unemployed and are qualified to do this work. The application process will close in 28 days.   

To become an IDO, organizations must submit applications, which can be found at www.detroitmi.gov/supplier. In the coming days, the City will announce a series of informational sessions where interested organizations will be able to get questions answered and get assistance navigating the application process. Organizations that are not yet in the system as city suppliers must complete the supplier registration steps on this site as soon as possible.   

Applications will only be accepted from those firms demonstrating a minimum of two years of experience providing the services requested in the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for projects of similar scope and size.  

“There are more than 11,000 unfilled jobs available today right here in the City of Detroit and employers need people to fill them,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “We are calling on community organizations that already do this kind of outreach to help us connect with Detroiters who may have given up on the idea of finding gainful employment and breaking the cycle of poverty in their family.”  

Sherard- Freeman told the Michigan Chronicle previously that there is a plethora of jobs available in the city and that’s just the starting point.  

Detroit At Work is a city initiative focused on preparing job seekers in Detroit to connect with prospective employers, from small micro-businesses to corporations.    

Sherard-Freeman said roughly half of the residents in Detroit are working for small businesses, and investing in this sector is a vital part of the city’s continued economic growth and neighborhood economic development strategies.    

“There is no shortage of opportunities for Detroiters,” said Sherard- Freeman previously. “One of the measures of success or progress is resident employment.”   

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the unemployment rate, as of August 31, in the Detroit area is 7.4 percent.     

Tracking this year’s trend, the number dropped from 10.1 percent in June 2022 to 8.1 percent in July 2022.    

Compared to previous years, the unemployment rate was at 16 percent in July 2021 and 28.6 percent in July 2020.   

“We are up to 227,000 Detroit residents employed,” said Sherard-Freeman. “That doesn’t just mean employed in Detroit, just employed anywhere. And that number was up from 224,000 in June. So that’s only 4,000 or so off from our pre-pandemic high…the numbers are trending up.”  

Deputy Mayor Todd Bettison, who has been Duggan’s point-person on community engagement and helping to lead this new effort, said that the city can’t reach many Detroiters who may have negative feelings about the government that are apparent.  

“I can tell some people about these opportunities being available to them, but they won’t receive it in the same way they would if it came from someone familiar to them,” said Bettison in the article. “That’s why we are launching this effort to recruit some of our most trusted voices in the community to help us get these residents onto a path that will help them raise their income and standard of living.”  

Additionally:  

1. Applicants must provide proof of experience recruiting and managing meeting participant milestones within the last two years as defined in the NOFA.  

1. Applicants must provide a minimum of three active program referrals. 

1. Applicants must demonstrate experience working with nonprofits, community-based organizations and Detroit residents.  

The application window will close on Monday, November 7, at which point the City will begin the process of selecting IDOs.  

This new program is co-sponsored by Council President Mary Sheffield, along with City Council Members at-large Mary Waters and Coleman A. Young II. Council Member Mary Waters said, “JumpStart will give people a leg up and an opportunity to improve their skills and quality of life.”  

“JumpStart is a difference maker and a game-changer, and I look forward to securing this legislation’s passage,” said City Council Member Coleman A. Young II. “In the words of my father, the Honorable Coleman A. Young Sr., there is no problem in this City that a good-paying job can’t fix. JumpStart takes Detroit to the Next Level.”  

“I am excited to join the Administration and my fellow colleagues for the announcement of this innovative new program which aims to address the high rate of poverty which continues to plague our city. Making the Jump Start program even better is the fact that we are engaging our local organizations and leaders and entrusting them to do this important work recognizing they are best positioned to connect with those in need,” said Sheffield.  

The program will be funded through American Rescue Plan Act dollars made possible by the Biden Administration and is expected to open for public enrollment early next year.   

Staff Writer Rasha Almulaiki contributed to this report.